Hello from Phang Nga, Thailand!
This month, the men of my team have teamed up with the men of River Wild for a month of “manistry,” so Deb, Esther, and I have teamed up with the awesome girls of River Wild (Hannah J., Hannah M., and Jill), for our time here in Thailand.
We are working with a ministry called Eagle’s Rest, which is an organization that provides a place of rest and refuge for Asian pastors and their families who are living in poverty. Our hosts have such an amazing heart to serve those who are serving, and we have been so inspired by their stories and their family.
Our job this month is to prove to the Thai government that Eagle’s Rest is doing something beneficial for the community so that their ministry can continue operating. This week, we were able to paint a majority of the outside of their house, and we will be doing several more projects in the community, such as teaching a Christmas play and Christmas crafts at primary schools and daycare centers, sewing, cooking, and more painting.
But one of my favorite things that we have done is something that our host calls “prayer encounters.” Basically, she drops us off somewhere in town, and we spend time praying over the city and for the Spirit to lead us to people with whom we can spend time with and share the love of Christ.
The first day that we did this, Esther, Jill, and I were dropped off at a Chinese Temple, so we spent time praying over it and the people who visit it. As we looked at the unoccupied spirit houses and figurines of warriors and spirits baring their teeth, we felt a sense of fear and emptiness.
And so we began to pray against the spirit of fear and that the Holy Spirit would fill that place. As we began to pray these things, the two funniest things happened. When we started praying against fear, a nearby truck started to play the happiest music, and I couldn’t help but laugh. And as we exited the temple, Jill spotted a white dove flying past, and I felt like it was a little wink from God, affirming that the Holy Spirit was in fact in that place because we had brought it there.
From the temple, we made our way to the market and spotted a cute little local coffee shop. We walked in and enquired about coffee prices, but the woman working there didn’t seem like she spoke much English at first. Seemingly defeated, I handed her a Thai tract. But as we turned to leave, she asked, “Christian? Yesu?”
Excitedly, we turned back and were able to tell her that we were Christians, and she told us that she had a friend who is a Christian, so she knows a little about Jesus. But when we asked her what she believes in she said, “Buddha, Buddha.”
After ordering some tea and coffee, she enthusiastically invited us to sit with her and continue our conversation. It turns out she speaks much better English than we thought, and we were able to laugh together as she shared a little bit of her story.As we sat and sipped our drinks, she intently read the Thai tract that we had given her, and she began asking questions.
She pulled out a scrap of paper and scribbled the words, “God, Buddha, same?”
Very carefully, we explained how God and the Buddha that she knows are different. How we do not need to work to please God, how He loves us unconditionally, how He hears us when we pray, how He forgives us when we mess up, and how He came to the earth in the form of his son, Jesus Christ.
We could see the gears in her head turning, and after we explained, she took back out the piece of paper and wrote, “God, Buddha, different?”
We could tell that what we were telling her was something she had never heard before, and it is the same with many of the Thai people. For many, God and Jesus are just more gods to add to their “collections” of gods. In a culture of animism and syncretism, there is a lot of confusion.
But more than just telling her about God, I really wanted to tell her how much God loves her. And as I looked her in the eyes and told her how much God truly loves her and how he cares about her and can hear her when she prays, my teammates said that they saw goosebumps rise on her arms. God had clearly wanted us to stumble into that coffee shop and find that woman so that we could show her and tell her about His love.
We’ve had a couple opportunities to visit her again and just continue to build the friendship that was started that day. This morning, we sat and had tea, took selfies, and laughed some more. As we left, she filled our bags with free snacks and treats, and Jill joked that she must like us or something.
As we continue this month, I just pray that we would be able to see our friend many more times and continue to pour into her and love on her.
And I pray that God would give us many more encounters with His people in this land.
Financial update: Only one month of fundraising left! I am sooooo close to being fully funded, and our last deadline is January 1st, which means I have less than a month to raise $2,000. If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation before the end of this financial year, click anywhere that says “Support Me!”
